PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP has ended its year-long search for new downtown office space by agreeing to a long term lease in the Larkin at Exchange Building.

The move, expected to take place in July, means the One Seneca Tower loses one of its few remaining tenants. PricewaterhouseCoopers has been a One Seneca tenant for decades.

Real estate sources said the CPA firm will be leasing approximately 9,500-square-feet in the Larkin at Exchange Building, slightly less than the 12,500-square-feet it leases in One Seneca Tower. PricewaterhouseCoopers is the region’s third largest CPA firm, according to a Business First ranking, with 75 employees.

That the firm is moving from the 38-story tower was not a surprise. It had been considering a number of downtown locations.

“We can’t say it was one thing over another with our decision about where to move the office,” said Keith Stolzenburg, PricewaterhouseCoopers managing partner. “But, the Larkin District is a very funky place to be.”

Stolzenberg said with the average age of his firm’s employees just under 30, the “hip” factor of the Larkin District proved to be selling point.

“There is a big buzz about that building,” he said.

Its move to the Larkin at Exchange comes at a time when the Larkin District anchor building has seen one tenant, Kaleida Health, move its corporate offices from the address. Kaleida leased 10,000-square-feet on the building’s fifth floor. Kaleida retained Carey Anderson from J.R. Militello Realty and Waterbourne Real Estate Advisors to help find a sub-lease tenant for the space. Interest is high in the space, officials said.

Kaleida’s move followed the appointment of Jody Lomeo to the CEO position, said Mike Hughes, Kaleida spokesman.

“It was directly related to Jody’s belief the executives should be in the hospitals,” he said. “We don’t see patients at Larkin.”

Seven offices with a total of 12 members of the leadership team and their support staff moved out of the Larkin space. Kaleida still maintains space on the second and third floors at Larkin for its human resources and IT functions.

Meanwhile, the foreclosure process for the One Seneca Tower continues to move forward.

The tower has lost several major anchor tenants in the past few years including the Canadian Consulate, HSBC Bank and the Phillips Lytle law firm. Where, once nearly all of its 851,000-square-feet were leased, the building is more than 95 percent vacant.

Development and ownership plans remain in flux and largely dependent on the outcome of the foreclosure process